SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports topped 500 billion U.S. dollars at the fastest pace in the country's history, a government report showed Friday.
According to preliminary data jointly compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Customs Service, the country's exports reached 501.2 billion dollars as of 2:00 p.m. local time (0600 GMT) Friday.
The overseas shipment exceeded the 500-billion-dollar mark at the fastest pace since the data began to be compiled in 1956.
Imports amounted to 416.6 billion dollars, raising possibility for the country's trade to surpass 1 trillion dollars this year, the ministry said.
The rapid growth in exports was attributed to the diversification of export items and regions, which increased in a balanced manner.
Major export items, including semiconductor, petrochemical and steel, gained ground in exports, while shipments were diversified into regions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India.
